1 Front Volume 140 No. 13
Friday, May 24, 2013
The Tonica News
Single Copy Cost 50¢
Drying up an old problem By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT – The Lostant Grade School Board approved a fix for a long-standing basement flooding problem. The board voted to go ahead with the project during the regular May 20 meeting. The only problem? Board members aren’t sure exactly what the project is going to include.
School architect Robert Johnson presented the board with plans for a larger pit for water to be drained off from with a commercial sized pump, and a French drain that would draw water away from the building to the new pit. The current pit is about 40 gallons, which is too small for the building. It is also equipped with a pump normally used in larger houses. The projected cost for the project
is $56,000. A 50/50 grant has been applied for to help finance the job. However, board members do not believe the solution will fix the problem. There is a question of where the eave spouts carry the water from the roof gutters, and the possibility of that water bypassing the French drain was brought up. “I think it’s foolish to think the French drain is going to do this,” said
board member Andy Urbanowski. “I think we need to look at other ideas. Those gutters are probably a big part of the problem.” The building was erected in 1936, and many of the lines around the building from that time do not appear on current blueprints, which also complicates matters. Inspection of the courtyard during the meeting revealed a pipe that is not
on the blueprint. An engineer will be called in to try to determine the viability of the plan and to suggest other options. In other action, the school board: • Voted to switch from Hi-Hart Electric to the incoming iFiber network for its Internet provider when the new network is completed. The board did so with the recommendation of Tim Smith
Tanks out at former Village Inn
Students at Tonica Grade School play near the Old Cedar Point Cemetery on Tonica’s east side. The cemetery will be the setting for a Memorial Day service at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Tonica Civil War soldiers and two local men who died in the Vietnam War will be recognized and honored.
bkromphardt@tonicanews.com
See Demolition Page 3 Vol. 140 No. 13 One Section - 12 Pages
See Lostant Page 3
In everlasting memory …
By Barb Kromphardt TONICA – The gas tanks are finally out at the former Village Inn building, and Tonica Village Attorney Bob Steele is hopeful the building might be coming down soon as well. At Monday’s village board meeting, Steele said the tanks had been removed the previous week, but the owner, Tonica Acquisitions, still needed to take down the building. Holding up the building — literally — is asbestos in the ceiling, but Steele said the owner will meet with Dennis Hancock, an environmental protection specialist with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, some time this week. Once the asbestos is removed, the building will be torn down. Steele said he should have a timeline by the June meeting, and he was told the building would be down by Tonica Fest, which will be held Aug. 22-25. “We’ll continue to watch the situation closely,” he said.
from Hi-Hart Electric. While the iFiber network is more expensive than the services from Hi-Hart, Smith said the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. “This is almost too good to be true,” Smith said. “This is a good move for the school.” Smith advised the board to act quickly, because if the school would want to
Tonica News photo/Barb Kromphardt
Tonica to honor Gold Star Vietnam veterans By Elin Arnold news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — The Vietnam War began Nov. 1, 1955, and ended April 30, 1975. It lasted for 19 and one-half years, and 58,000 American troops died. The war changed American history, society and culture forever. The lives of two Tonica families were also changed and devastated with grief. Cody Calkins and Mike Puetz were among those casualties. They died within months of each other. On May 26, the Russell Zenor Post 260 Tonica American Legion will dedicate a Vietnam section of the Gold Star Wall in their memory.
“And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln The Gold Star Wall has been a group effort by the Legionnaires. It started with the dedication of the World War II section on Veterans Day 2012. It was Commander Lowell Beenenga’s idea, and the project was headed up by Bob Hobneck Jr. Hobneck did the research with the help of Pat Ryan, and Ryan helped Mary Hawley with the construction phase. Don
“Joker” Topolski did the photography work, and Doug Grieve has organized the dedication ceremonies. Both of these young men were members of the Tonica High School Class of 1967, and members of that class will participate in the services on Sunday. Thirteen young men served during the Vietnam Conflict from this class.
Private First Class Cody Ray Calkins was killed in hostile force actions on July 12, 1969. He was wounded in a mine explosion but refused treatment and assisted in evacuating nearly all the casualties before he was taken for treatment of the injuries that he died of later. Sgt. Michael DeWayne Puetz was killed on Feb. 11, 1970, in a combat incident while flying in a U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A. He was flying a helicopter reconnaissance mission near the Cambodian border. He was the third LaSalle County soldier to be killed within 10 days.
See Gold Star Page 2
Inside 2013 graduates See Pages 8-10
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